Mass Affection for Garrus Vakarian
by MassAffection
Summary: Natalie Gallagher just wanted adventure. When Jane Shepard recruits her to help with the Collectors, she gets plenty of it. In the process, she gets to know Garrus, and falls hard for the Turian. Set before and during the events of Mass Effect 2
1. Chapter 1

Citadel

Councilor Udina was wearing his signature condescending smirk, while Anderson seemed genuinely misty-eyed beside him. Anderson had spent real time with the class, whereas Udina had only popped in a time or two just to smirk at us lowly foot-soldiers. Udina called the next student up for their diploma and I glanced once again at my family in the audience; my father, beaming with pride when he wasn't scowling at the Asari couple beside him, my mother adjusting her dress 'just so' next to him, and my brother Elliot, in full Alliance uniform. He looked very intimidating, and though I wasn't afraid of him, I did try to avoid him. He could be an extremely obnoxious know-it-all. They all smiled and nodded at me, and I looked away after nodding in return. Udina said my name, making it sound as if it were diseased, his voice filled with so much disdain. Which made sense, I'd never treated him with the respect he thought he deserved. I smiled sardonically and walked the stage in my boot camp fatigues. He squeezed my hand as he shook it.

"Well, well Gallagher. You managed to make it to this stage and shake my hand. I'm shocked."

I chuckled rudely and squeezed back.

"I was just thinking the same about you, Udina. I thought for sure they'd have fired your ass way before now."

He glared and released my hand. I smiled sweetly and turned to Captain Anderson. He seemed genuinely happy to hold my hand in his.

"You are going to do great things, Natalie. You remind me of Shepard." I beamed, and as my eyes watered, I thanked him and rushed awkwardly off the stage.

I stood with others and once all had crossed we were expected to reunite with our families and friends. I sighed in exasperation and forced a smile onto my face as my family bumrushed me.

"You actually accomplished it, good for you."

"Natalie, your hair looks ridiculous, how humiliating…"

My brother flashed my parents a look before smiling at me.

"Proud of you, Nat." My father nodded in agreement and threw his arm around Elliot's shoulders.

"Following in your brother's footsteps." I gritted my teeth and nodded.

"Yep. Just call me Elliot the Second!"

They kept talking at me, but when I heard the announcements to regroup I shoved away and quickly joined the crowd of graduates. Captain Anderson and Councilor Udina stood side by side, both looking intently at their devices. I rubbed my hands excitedly. This was the moment we'd all been waiting for. Udina looked up and cleared his throat.

"Now we'll be sending each of you onto your assignments."

Again, I waited, my impatience growing rapidly.

"Gallagher, Natalie." I tried not to trip over my own feet as I 'walked' towards them. My smile faltered as I caught Anderson's eye. He seemed to be avoiding my gaze. I looked at Udina and did not like the smirk he wore. Oh God. What was I being assigned to do?

"Gallagher, C-Sec duty." I froze and dropped the smile completely.

"Excuse me?"

Udina raised an eyebrow at me and glanced at the crowd of people, watching us. Anderson cleared his throat.

"Congratulations, Natalie. You get the great honor of assisting C-Sec. The Citadel is still very deep in repairs from Saren's attack, and C-Sec needs all the help they can get. So we're sending several of our best-" He gave me a look at this point. "-to help."

I looked away from him to Udina. I growled at his stupid face.

"Thank you...for this...opportunity." I crossed my arms and joined the group of other C-Sec losers and slumped against the wall.

I watched in pathetic, crushing disappointment as the other graduates boarded shuttles that would transport them to starships. Those starships would take them all over the galaxy, while I stayed right here.

My brother said his goodbyes and also hopped on a shuttle. I woke up this morning with my bags packed. I was positive I'd be leaving the cramped apartment I shared with my parents for good. See ya next holiday! What a crock.


	2. Chapter 2

Several months later

"I'll show Rukar. I'll catch a delicious fish and shove it right in his face!" The krogan laughed as he talked to himself. I think he really thought he was being stealthy. He glanced around constantly, jerking his fishing pole this way and that crazily. The dumb rock would never catch a fish like that, even if there were fish in the lake. I rolled my eyes and strolled casually up beside him. I leaned carelessly against the railing and raised my scissors to the fishing line, snipping it in two. the krogan raised his line in confusion before twisting towards me and roaring. I tsked and raised my taser.

"I wouldn't, unless you want to spend the night in a cell? I can totally arrange that. I have an in with security here, actually." The krogan ignored my threats and lifted me like tissue paper. I tensed, preparing myself for the shocks that would rack his body and enter mine.

"Put it down, Kargesh. You'll get us all kicked off this station, acting like an ass." We both looked over at the bigger, rougher looking krogan. When we recognized him, we gulped in unison.

"Wrex!" The krogan dropped me like I was hot and I hit the ground with a heavy thud. Groaning, I stood up and rubbed my hip. I looked back at Wrex and raised my eyebrows. Wrex was incredibly scary in person, but everyone knew of him. He'd traveled with Commander Shepard, took down Saren with her, and even finished Fist. Now he was the leader of clan Urdnot on Tuchanka.

Once the krogan dropped me, Wrex immediately lost interest in me and pulled 'Kargesh' away with him. I watched them leave and huffed.

My Omni-tool pinged, letting me know I was off the clock soon. Deciding to take the long way back to HQ, I strolled autonomously through the Presidium Commons, past civilians and politicians. The buildings to my right were nothing but offices full of faceless bureaucrats, to my left was the lake and several footbridges that took you to the shadier side of the Presidium.

The asari consort, and the Shadow Broker's Citadel Liaison were a couple of the more well known establishments on that side.

I reached the elevators and took a free one down to C-Sec. I listened half-heartedly to the announcements that played through the speakers. More batarian raiders attacking bases, more plague victims on Omega, and another human colony gone missing. That would be the latest of several reports. It made me think of Shepard once she had become a spectre. She'd had drama with the council. She had been convinced that there was more to this than just Saren. Now she was gone, and everyone just went along pretending that everything was okay now. I shook my head and exited the lift, making my way to my locker.

I wasn't the only one getting off the job, and one of my more familiar co workers invited me to join a small group for a drink at Flux. Normally I'd turn them down, because I was still sulking and pouting over my lot in life, but I was feeling a little better today. Maybe it was the celebrity sighting?

The asari waitress was handing me my second drink as I finished my story, my friends enjoying it just as much as I'd hoped they would.

"You have a death wish, Gallagher!" I chuckled and raised my eyebrows, sipping my drink.

"Don't we all?" They chuckled and agreed. We'd signed up to be soldiers, and being stuck here, sometimes we forgot what we really were.

Someone else changed the subject, and I leaned back in my seat, taking a break from the socializing. I looked around the little club, watching as people wandered up and down the stairs leading to a little casino up top. I considered hopping up there-I wasn't a bad Quesar player-but as I was making up my mind, I found myself covered in something wet, and oddly tingly. I jumped up in surprise, coming face to face with a very drunk turian. A familiar turian.

"Are you...aren't you Garrus Vakarian?" He opened his mouth to respond, but belched in my face instead. I jerked back and gritted my teeth. Suddenly I was being yanked away. I looked back and found my co workers worriedly shuffling me towards the exit.

"That drink is toxic to humans, Natalie! Your skin is reacting to it, can't you feel it?" I looked at my hands and winced. The tingling had turned to a light burning sensation, and my hands were turning redder by the second. I stopped resisting and let my friends take me to the Med clinic. The doctor there, a french-accented woman, immediately slid a needle in my arm, and then I was out cold.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up to a penlight in my face. Groaning, I turned away.

"Oh, there you are!" I followed the voice to a smiling feminine face.

"Doctor Michele, nice to see you." I'd been under her care when I first joined, getting the required physical and shot updates. She'd been very sweet then, just as she was being now.

She helped me sit up and I made myself comfortable.

"You're doing just fine, but I'll need you to stay for the rest of the day just to be sure." I sighed and nodded, and she left me alone. I could still see her at her desk, checking emails and reports.

later

I must have nodded off, because I was jolted awake by the sound of the door sliding open.

"Oh Garrus, what a pleasant surprise!" Dr Michele's French accented voice rose a couple octaves when saying his name. Interesting.

"Hello, Doc. I was hoping I could speak with your patient, Natalie Gallagher?"

She led him to my bedside and glanced between us awkwardly before taking her leave. I looked over at Garrus, watching him as he shuffled from foot to foot, rubbing his hands together uncomfortably.

"So...what's up?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Well, I'm Garrus; Garrus Vakarian, and I'm the one who spilled the drink on you last night." I nodded and smiled

"Yeah, I'm aware." His mandibles clicked, the Turian version of blushing I suppose.

"Yes well, I wanted to apologize for that. So I'm sorry, for spilling my drink on you, and for the injury it caused."

"No worries, it's all good. Now I get to take a little vacay from the mindnumbing boredom of my job. So, thank you."

He scratched the back of his neck and nodded. He opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a commotion at the door. We both turned to watch as my mother and father marched to the doctor's desk. I groaned, now this dr's visit was becoming painful. When my parents caught sight of me, they rushed over and loomed over me. My mother began fiddling with my hair, and I noticed my father giving a suspicious glare at Garrus. Shoving my mother away, I quickly introduced them.

"Mom, Dad, this is Garrus Vakarian. He's one of the crew members that saved the Citadel with Commander Shepard. So be nice." I uttered, glaring at my father.

Garrus seemed uncomfortable with the attention, and excused himself as politely but quickly as he could.

"I should get going anyway, uh thanks for accepting the apology, Ms Gallagher. I'll see you around. Goodbye." We watched as he rushed out, ignoring Michele as she tried to stop him to chat.

I was disappointed to see him leave so soon. I wanted to ask questions about his adventures, or just talk about anything, really. But now I was stuck being interrogated by these two. Great.

Michele sent me home that evening and I was back at work the next day. The captain sent me to patrol the civilian ward, and as I strolled past apartments and people, I was alerted to a message on my Omni-tool. I looked at it and loaded the message.

"Meet me at Chora's Den.

8:00 o'clock."

No sign off, no sender address, I was intrigued. I had a feeling I knew who it was, but I still played the guessing game all day.


	4. Chapter 4

Finally the time rolled around and I made my way to the shady gentlemen's club in the lower wards. I'd been here plenty of times before on duty, but this would be the first time I came in as a customer.

The asari dancers above the bar always nabbed my attention, swirling and bouncing their hips to the rhythm of the music bumping through the dark room. I looked around away and tried to find my mystery date, there were a few turians around, but not the one I thought I'd find. I did however, lock eyes with my brother across the room.

He grinned as I hurriedly pushed past all who were in my way, until I met him at his table and crashed into him, hugging him as tightly as I could.

"Elliot! What are you doing here? I haven't seen you since graduation." We pulled apart and I took a seat across from him.

"I'm here on shore leave. I just left mom and dad's, and I wanted to surprise you."

"Well, mission accomplished, I had NO idea who I was meeting." I leaned back and thought of Garrus, feeling slightly disappointed, but not much. I was really excited to see my brother, even if he did get on my nerves. We chatted for a while, our voices slightly raised to be heard clearly over the music and other voices. We drank and talked freely and for once I felt like I was talking to a friend and not just my older brother.

Elliot set his empty glass down and leaned forward, chewing his bottom lip.

"Listen Nat, I actually did have something to tell you." I raised an eyebrow and motioned for him to continue.

"I'm sure you're aware of the hits on human colonies that's been happening lately." I nodded and he continued. "Well, they're stationing a lot of us on the colonies, we're hoping we can hit whoever is doing this and make it stop. They're sending me to Horizon." I started to smile excitedly.

"Maybe they'll send me somewhere?" He frowned and shook his head a little.

"Nat, Udina has you here in C-Sec. He turns everyone down who tries to select you for other assignments. I've been trying for weeks to get you moved, and he keeps rejecting it. I'm sorry." I collapsed back against my seat and huffed deeply.

"What….that son of a bitch! I'm going up to his office right now and kicking his ass." I stood up quickly, feeling a little dizzy from the drinks. My brother grabbed my wrist and yanked me back down.

"Absolutely not. He will get you arrested if you even go near him. You are an Alliance Military Soldier. You've wanted this ever since you were a kid, do not fuck up and do anything stupid, Natalie. I mean it. Eventually, you'll get to go somewhere. Just not right now. Let it go." I growled angrily, feeling myself shaking from anger.

'Fine, you're right. But I can't sit here anymore. I need to go walk this off. It was good seeing you, Elliot." I stood and walked out of the bar, paying my bill on my omnitool as I left. Udina. That sonofabitch. Someday I'd give him what he deserved.

As I stormed down the wards corridor, I felt a hand grab my arm. I turned around, expecting Elliot and finding Garrus instead.

"Natalie, are you okay?" I pulled my arm back and crossed it with the other.

"I'm fine. Just got totally fucked over by a shitstorm of a person, but whatever. I'm totally fine." He smiled a little, which did not make me feel better.

"Yeah, I uh, heard what happened. Udina is a real piece of work, I know. I don't know what you did to piss him off, but apparently you're very high on his shit list. Maybe above Shepard. Or atleast tied with her." He chuckled and leaned against the wall. I looked around impatiently. I didn't care for this conversation.

"Did you want something? Sorry, but I'm really not in a friendly mood." He stopped smiling and dropped the good humor act.

"I did actually. I'm sure you're aware of my behavior lately. That incident at Flux wasn't my first, I've been hitting the bottle pretty hard since Shepard...well, you know." I nodded uncomfortably. We all missed Shepard, but Garrus had been one of her best friends.

"Anyway, I had a very awkward talk with some old friends, and I realized that I can either continue wasting my time, or using my anger and grief for something worth a damn. I'm going off grid. I'm leaving C-Sec and going rogue. I'm sick and tired of the rules, I can do more and save more on my own. But I need help. I need a crew. And I think you'd be perfect for it."

I dropped my arms and stared hard at him.

"You want me...to just disappear with you, and be...like one of your merry men while you play robin hood?" He didn't seem pleased with my analogy.

"I mean, I guess. If you want to put it that way. Yes. You hate the rules as much I do. You're being wasted here, Gallagher. You have real talent, and Udina is locking it away because he's a prick." I bit my lip. Garrus was saying everything I wanted to hear in this moment. Nothing sounded better than running away to do what I actually dreamed of as a kid. Adventure, danger, actually making a difference...but I had responsibilities here..people expected things of me. I shook my head.

"I respect what you're saying, Garrus. But I'm an Alliance Soldier. I can't ruin my reputation. I can't turn away from what I signed on to do. I'm sorry." He nodded slowly and stood straight.

"Well then, I guess this is goodbye, Gallagher. I'm sorry we didn't get to spend more time together. I think we would have made an amazing team." Why did that hurt so bad to hear? Why did I feel like he was breaking up with me? I nodded awkwardly and walked past him.

"Goodbye, Garrus."


	5. Chapter 5

I didn't hear from Garrus after that night. I even visited the doctor again. She'd been worried, but hadn't seen or heard from him either.

I'd considered asking Anderson, but at that point I'd have to stop and ask myself why I cared so much. So I let it go.

Instead, I decided to really stick it to Udina and enjoy my job. He assumed I'd react violently and loudly about his dick move, but I threw myself into my work and made better friends of my coworkers. And it totally bugged him. Ha.

Other than that, I paid better attention to the news reports. I kept in contact with with Elliot, making sure he was okay and picking up any new information he gathered on the job.

Shepard has alerted us to Geth activity a year ago, but it was still strange to hear more and more about them in Citadel Space. It couldn't be coincidental that they were more active now while colonies were being attacked, right? Elliot and I spent a lot of time tossing theories back and forth.

All I wanted-all everyone wanted-was answers.

The council was no help. Our questions were only met with thinly-masked mockery for making our homes and colonies so close to the space beyond the lawless Terminus Systems. When we reminded them that we saved their asses during Saren's attack, they reminded us that those colonies attacked were out of their jurisdiction.

It was infuriating to say the least.

I spent a lot nights awake wishing somehow that Shepard was still here.

The first day I heard the rumors was just like any other day on the Citadel. I'd already had to ask a Hanar to leave the presidium for preaching, an Elcor had had the biggest fit I think anyone had ever seen an Elcor have, and I was forced to deal with a certain fish seeking Krogan again. As I jogged up to the flight control deck to check a report, I'd heard a couple of navigators chatting.

"Did you hear, Joker left the Alliance."

"What? Why?"

"I dunno for sure, but I heard he joined Cerberus. Said they'd build him a brand new ship, and get this, they say they brought Commander Shepard back to life."

At this point they were laughing and jabbing each other.

"Oh my god, are you serious? Is Joker that much of an idiot? I can believe that I guess. Hell of a pilot though. Kinda dangerous losing him to Cerberus." The first nav nodded.

"Yeah, but once he sees that they're trying to feed him bullshit, he'll come crawling back. Get it? Because of the brittle bone disease?"

I left then, the joke was in very bad taste, and to be honest it pissed me off, but the gossip was extremely interesting. I'd have to email Elliot and see if he'd heard of this.

 _Yes, it's true. Jeff Moreau has left the Alliance to join Cerberus. And yes, we've heard the ridiculous claims about Commander Shepard. But no, we have no actual proof she's alive. Several people have claimed to have seen her, but one of them was a Quarian in deep mental distress. Don't get your hopes up, Nat. Even if it was true, it sounds like she's a Cerberus puppet now. A traitor._

I didn't respond to the email. I looked at it every once in a while, but that word at the end made me feel sick. Shepard, a traitor?

This time I did go to Anderson. It was comforting to see that this was upsetting him as much as it was me, and he let me know that he'd sent her a message. I insisted he keep me updated, and tried to go about my life as normal.


	6. Chapter 6

Well, turns out he didn't need to keep me updated.

The day was odd from the start, too quiet. The day previous, a Turian prison ship called Purgatory had been attacked, resulting in a lot of deaths, and the escape of a convict known only as "Jack". In the process of cleaning up, it was revealed that the warden had been extremely corrupt.

The day before that, a famous Krogan warlord was found dead on Korlus. He'd been working on a cure for the Genophage, a biological weapon the Salarians had created and the Turians released during the Krogan rebellions, in an attempt to reduce krogan numbers.

I was on edge now, obsessed with any and all breaking news reports that came in.

So yes, I was definitely caught off guard when after being assigned desk duty on a slow day, I got to be one of the first on the Citadel who saw Jane Shepard alive again. With my own two eyes.

She marched past me and straight to Bailey, who had to adjust her status in the system from 'dead' to you know, 'not dead'. Bailey waved her through and she rushed to meet with Anderson. I was so star struck and shocked, I'd silently watched, wide-eyed. I looked back at Bailey, who had gotten back to his work.

"Captain, that was Commander Shepard." He glanced at me and nodded slowly.

"Good eyes, Gallagher." I slumped back and laughed a little. How...anti-climactic.

I tried to focus on the job, but as soon as break time hit, I double timed it to Anderson's office.

The captain was alone, and didn't seem surprised to see me burst through his door.

He was leaning against the railing on his balcony, looking out over the Presidium.

"I was wondering when you'd pop in, Gallagher."

I walked over and leaned next to him.

"What happened? Was she...different?"

His face tensed slightly.

"No, actually. She was the same old Shepard. Dedicated, focused, stubborn. Asked me to join her again on the Normandy."

I looked at him in surprise.

"Did you accept?" He chuckled.

"No, no. My time on ships is over." He turned to me then, serious.

"I told her to take you instead. She's in Udina's office now. You can hear him shouting, if you listen." My heart stopped and I swallowed hard.

"I'm, I'm joining Commander Shepard?" He nodded.

"Admiral Hackett thinks it's a good idea. The Alliance does not stand with Cerberus, but we do stand with Shepard." I couldn't help myself, I lunged at him and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Captain. Thank you." I felt a flush of embarrassment, but he laughed and patted my back.

"You are an asset going to waste here, Natalie. No more."

I pulled away just as the office door slid open. Commander Shepard wore a satisfied smirk as she looked me over.

"Is this the soldier, Anderson?" He nodded and stepped between us.

"Commander Shepard, this is Natalie Gallagher, Jr Lieutenant, our Alliance liaison ready for duty on the Normandy." I nearly fainted. Nearly. But when Shepard held her hand out, I gripped it tightly and shook it.

This is what I signed up for.

Shepard sent me home to pack and say goodbye to mom and dad. They were surprised, and almost impressed, until I mentioned that I was going to join Commander Shepard, and her crew of aliens. My father crossed his arms.

"Is this really where you want to be, Natalie? This is bottom of the barrel low. Your brother would never accept this." I stopped packing and turned to him. My mother ducked her head and left the room. She didn't like shouting.

"When are you going to stop comparing me to Elliot? I'll never be Elliot. Is that ever going to be enough for you?" He opened his mouth, but I lifted my hand to stop him.

"Actually, I don't think I even want your approval anymore. You're a judgemental asshole. That's nothing to be proud of."

Lifting my luggage, I stormed past, having stunned him to silence. I'd hear about this later, but at least I'd be far, far away.

My mother tried to catch me, but I dodged her and left the apartment. I'd check in in a day or so, maybe ten.


	7. Chapter 7

I'd seen the Normandy in photos and videos, from a distance once, but actually getting to step inside was a dream come true. I followed Shepard on board, and she led me to the left, towards the cockpit.

"This is the bridge, and this is our pilot, Jeff Moreau." He was focused on disembarking, but shot us a glance.

"Call me Joker, and good. I was worried you'd only pick up one hitchhiker this stop." Shepard smacked his shoulder gently, but he winced anyway.

"You'll get used to him. Bruises like a little peach, but the most sarcastic sonofabitch in the galaxy." Shepard chuckled as a hologram appeared on the dash next to Joker.

"Hello, I am EDI, the Normandy's A.I." Oh, that was cool. A sultry, feminine voice filled the air. Joker seemed unimpressed, annoyed even.

"No one asked you, robot." He hit a button on the dash, attempting to mute her, but her voice only moved to a speaker on the back wall. "Nice try, Joker, but you can't silence me that easily." He groaned, and Shepard laughed as she led me back to the main control area. A giant holographic map floated in the center, and surrounding us were computers with crewmembers working on all of them.

"That's the galaxy map, where I see where my next move is, and where I can communicate with Joker about where to move to next." I nodded, and we took a left through a door and into a lab.

A Salarian was moving around in their quick, jerky way, and talking madly to himself. He looked up at us, but did not slow down.

"Mordin, easy. Can you take a minute?" He stopped instantly and approached us.

"Ah, new crewmate? Not Miss Gato, too loud to be greatest thief in galaxy. Identity unknown, clearly soldier. Nice to meet you, I am Doctor Mordin Solus. Here as scientist to help stop collectors." I looked at Shepard.

"Collectors? Aren't they like a super anti-social race? I thought they were harmless. What's he talking about?" She nodded.

"We'll fill you in on everything we've learned later during the crew meeting.

Mordin, this is our Alliance Liaison, Jr Lieutenant Natalie Gallagher."

Mordin nodded and stretched out his hand.

"Good to meet you." I smiled and shook it.

"You too." Shepard then led me through another door and down a hallway.

"This door on our left is the comm room, where we hold our meetings, and this door leads to the armory." She guided me through the door at the end of the hall and I looked around, excited. In the room, among the weapons and armor, was a man leaning over a disassembled gun. When he heard the door, he turned toward us.

"Hey Shepard." When he noticed my Alliance patch, he looked bemused.

"This is Natalie Gallagher, Jr Lieutenant." He still looked unsure, but politely nodded.

"Jacob Taylor. Cerberus soldier. Nice to have you join us. I actually used to be Alliance as well." I bit my lip, wondering why he left to join Cerberus. He didn't seem interested in anymore small talk, so Shepard and I left him alone. Back in the Galaxy map room we boarded an elevator.

"Level one is my cabin, we're currently on level two, we'll head to level three; crew's quarters."

The elevator opened and we took a right. Entering the Port Observation deck, the view stopped me. The room was for amusement, a bar on the right next to a stereo, and a pool table taking up the whole left side. In the center of the room was a long couch spanning the wall, which was made of thick solid glass. Nothing but stars and planets in the distance, and dark nothingness ready to swallow you. Suddenly a woman appeared near the window.

"You must be Natalie. I am Kasumi. We both left the Citadel to join this ragtag group." Shepard nodded.

"Kasumi is a wanted thief, so we're going to try to keep her a secret." I nodded, I didn't see a need at the moment to use her name in any reports. Kasumi bowed and used her tech to shield herself from our view again. We left the deck, and Shepard led me to the next location.

"Miranda Lawson is next. Head's up, she's...a lot." Shepard was not smiling now.

When we entered her cabin, a voluptuous woman in a skintight jumpsuit was leaning against a desk, glaring at us.

"You can't just bring an Alliance soldier on this mission, Shepard. It's extremely classified information." Shepard crossed her arms.

"Actually Miranda, I can bring whoever I want. I'm in charge. And this is going to help us prove that all of this is real." Miranda stalked around the desk and sat down.

"The Illusive Man will be hearing about this." Shepard pretended to shiver and rolled her eyes.

"Her name is spelle R. And get her rank correct in your email." Shepard stormed out and I followed her. She mumbled curses under her breath, until we reached the little kitchen area in the corner of the room.

She introduced me to Rupert, the Normandy's cook, and he thanked her for the fresh ingredients she purchased on the Citadel. Shepard smiled and continued on, leading me past the open kitchen area.

"This is the main battery back here." The door opened and there, working tediously on the ships guns, was the Turian himself.

"Garrus?" I closed my mouth, embarrassed by my outburst. He jumped and turned around.

"Oh, hello Natalie. Sorry, I was busy with these calibrations...it's nice to see you again." I blushed a little, and hoped Shepard didn't notice.

"Just giving Natalie the grand tour. See you at the meeting?" He nodded and waved us off.

"Garrus is impossible to talk to when he starts anything down there." Shepard then took me to Medical, where I met Dr. Chakwas. After an impromptu check up, we got back on the elevator and went another level lower.

"Level four, engineering." Taking a left, we entered the Port Cargo. I wasn't prepared to be lifted into the air by a blue krogan.

"Shepard, you brought me dinner." She leaned against the wall.

"Stop trying to scare the newbie, Grunt. Let her down." For once, I was set down and not dropped. What a pleasant surprise.

"Grunt, this is Natalie." She turned to me.

"I highly recommend staying away from Grunt. He's…young." Grunt….grunted, and we left the room. Walking towards the elevator, we entered a door just before it. I followed Shepard down a flight of stairs and came across a half-naked woman wearing more ink than clothes. She jerked out of her seat, tossing and catching a knife.

"Jack, this is Natalie. Natalie, this is Jack. Remember that thing I said about Grunt, I mean it double for Jack." Jack smirked and sat back down.

"Well, well. A Cerberus cheerleader and an Alliance cheerleader. This should be good."

We left her then, and Shepard took me to the Starboard Cargo.

"And last but not least, this is Zaeed. Zaeed, this is-"

"I don't bloody care! Shepard, I don't want to be bothered unless we're landing on goddamn Zorya. Got it?"

I frowned and took a step forward. Did he know who he was talking to? Shepard put her arm out and stopped me.

"The lesson is this: Engineering is for the loners. Let's go get you settled in the crew's quarters."


	8. Chapter 8

A couple hours later, I was in a room with seven other people. Garrus and I kept playing the 'avoid each other's eyes' game while everyone else tried to be heard.

"Quiet everyone! Thank you. Right now, we're just making sure we're all on the same page and our knowledge is current." Shepard looked around.

"During these last two years, something has been happening to human colonies. We found evidence of Collectors arriving to these planets, freezing the occupants, and carrying them away in pods." She paced a little as she spoke.

"The Collectors are clearly working with or for someone else. Honestly, we don't have any evidence, but we know it's Reapers." Shepard sighed.

"Of course, we're the only ones in the Galaxy who believe that." Resting her hands on the table, she looked up.

"I spoke with the Illusive Man just before this meeting. We're on our way to Horizon now." She glanced at me then. "It's under attack."

I swallowed hard. Elliot…

"Mordin, did you finish the countermeasure against those seeker swarms?" He nodded quickly.

"Yes Shepard, take a look." Everyone was watching Mording intently, but I was frozen, worried sick over my brother. I looked up and found Farrus watching me.

I looked away before he could show any kind of concern.

After the meeting, Shepard stopped me.

"I know about your brother. It's not the same, but an old friend of mine is there too. They're Alliance. They know what they're doing, we have to remember that." I nodded, feeling uncertain.

"You're right. Thank you, Shepard."

"Natalie, I think you should stay on the Normandy for this mission." I jerked my head up to her.

"Absolutely not!" I tried to remain calm. "Shepard, you brought me here to help. Let me help. Please." She sighed.

"We're still a ways out. Go sleep while you can. We need it."

I spent that time trying to get used to sharing a room with other people. That and I couldn't stop thinking of Garrus. Why? I don't know. I was scared for Elliot, terrified, but Garrus' face when I could him watching me kept popping up in my mind. He had a scar now. A large one, on the right side of his face. I wanted to know about it. Where had he been all this time? What did he do?

I tossed and turned until EDI alerted me to meet Shepard and Jacob in the Armory.

Time to go.

We pulled on our armor and loaded our weapons. I decided on a M-6 Carnifex hand cannon and a M-15 Vindicator assault rifle. I followed Shepard and Jacob to the shuttle that would drop us off planetside.

Looking out the window as we got closer, I could see the colony buzzing with movement, but no colonists. There were swarms of fist-sized bugs, and what I assumed were Collectors storming around.

In the distance, but breathtakingly large, was a strange looking ship.

We dropped down from the shuttle and hit hard ground. When Shepard and Jacob pulled their weapons out, I followed their lead and slid my Vindicator into my hands.

"Mordin, you're sure these will protect us from the swarms?" Shepard asked through her headset.

"Of course not, this is test run!" I jerked my head towards Shepard, but our helmets hid our expressions. Shepard took his reply in stride and we made our way into the colony. The swarms tried to divebomb us, but turned away at the last second. I guess the armor add-on worked. Mordin was mumbling data and numbers nonstop in our ears. It was kind of comforting. Suddenly we were face to face with Collectors. All pointing guns at us.

"Find cover!" Shepard yelled. We ducked and rolled behind barriors. The sound of gunshots rang out all around us.

I watched Shepard and Jacob carefully return fire when they could.

"Assuming direct control." A deep voice boomed over the area. We all glanced at each other, then peeked over our covers.

One of the Collectors was lifted into the air by an invisible force. Its' eyes ere golden, its' skin split and light shown from beneath.

It seemed to resist this a little, but then dropped back to the ground and resumed fighting. It focused in on Shepard, as the disembodied voice continued.

"You will know pain, Shepard."

Jacob and I finished the others off and helped Shepard take down the controlled one. We waited several moments before easing out of cover. Regrouping, we began searching through buildings. Drinks were left sitting, still cold. Papers were scattered on tables and desks.

Shepard tried getting into contact with the Normandy, but Joker's voice was broken up by static.

"The Collectors must of deactivated the Communication Tower." Jacob reasoned.

The quiet was interrupted by the sound of clicking, the awful noise the Collectors made. We were quickly surrounded, but we were prepared.

This time weren't as surprised when the disembodied voice spoke.

"I will handle this personally."

We focused on the golden one, but immediately after it was down, the voice took over another Collector.

This fight took a little longer, but we slapped medi-gel on our wounds and pushed on. Eventually we cleared the area and could take a breather.

Jacob wanted to keep moving, but I needed to check for signs of my brother.

Shepard told us to be quick, and we split up to go through each room.

I finally found a terminal with some emails from Elliot. He'd put in multiple requests for more soldiers, including me. More recent messages were sent straight to Anderson. Demanding to know why I was racing around with Cerberus? I sighed and met back up with Jacob and Shepard.


	9. Chapter 9

We fought several more groups of these Collector drones, alongside them were horribly disfigured zombie-like humans.

"Are those...colonists?" I asked.

"They're called husks, and no. The Collectors took all the colonists. They must have already had these husks." I shivered.

After another batch of those things, we found a locked door. Shepard hacked it, and when it opened we found a man, cowering in a corner.

"Please, just leave me alone!"

"We're here to help. Where are your comm towers" Shepard helped him stand.

"They're right out there. Hurry, they're all gone!"

I bit my lip and approached him.

"Do you know Elliot Gallagher?" He looked at me, disgusted.

"That coward came in here just before shit hit the fan. He stole a shuttle. 'Soldier' my ass!" I shook my head in denial, ready to argue, but Jacob grabbed my shoulder. I nodded at him. Right, focus.

We exited the garage out of the side door he pointed at and found the communications terminal.

"We get them back on as soon as we can. We need to get in touch with the Normandy!" Jacob and I nodded.

We cleared the area of baddies, but it quickly refilled with more. A big mass of flesh staggered toward us.

"Scions! Watch out, they'll throw a massive ball of energy at you!" I ducked behind cover and shot at the scion when I could, hitting it as it prepared its' attack, and hiding when it threw it. When we got a break, we hurriedly reactivated communications.

"Shepard can you read me!" Joker's voice was stressed, repeating himself until Shepard cut him off.

"I'm here, Joker!"

"Shepard, enemy reinforcements are closing in. I suggest you ready weapons." EDI cut in.

"Joker, focus on the Collector ship!"

"Copy that, Commander." He replied, relieved to hear her.

We raced back to cover and I noticed something interesting lying next to a dead Collector. My omni-tool recognized it as a Collector Beam. Cool. I set it aside and reloaded the Vindicator.

We worked together to knock back the waves of enemies, as Joker took shots at the ship above us.

A loud buzzing filled the air. We looked up as a giant bug flew in and joined the fight.

We all aimed at it, just as it shot a steady laser beam right at Shepard. She flew back, hitting the ground hard.

"Shepard!"

"I'm fine! Keep shooting!"

I turned back to hit it, but our guns weren't doing anything to its' shields.

I lifted the Collector beam onto my shoulder and aimed at the beast.

It shot a laser beam of its own, and I watched as it depleted the thing's shields. Once they were gone, Jacob and I kept shooting until it fell to the ground. It's shell became impenetrable as its' shields restored, then it took the air again.

We repeated our attack a few more times until it fizzled and turned to ash.

At that same moment, the Collector ships engines started up. We helped Shepard to her feet and watched as it left the atmosphere.

The man we'd found before stumbled out, watching the ship leave.

"You're just letting them get away! Stop them!" He turned to us.

"Shepard, we did what we could."

"Shepard? I know you. You were some big Alliance hero!"

"First human spectre, savior of the Citadel. A God, back from the dead." We looked to the newcomer, and Shepard quietly gasped.

"I thought you were dead." Ashley Williams, another of Shepard's old crewmembers who helped stop Saren, stepped in front of us.

"It's been too long, Ash. How're you?" Shepard asked, trying to hide her emotion.

"That's it? You were gone for two years, and you act like nothing's happened? Why didn't you contact me?"

"I was dead, Ashley."

"We have reports you're with Cerberus." She glanced at Jacob's patch before looking back at Shepard.

"We got word this was the next colony to be attacked. We thought Cerberus was behind all of this, then we hear you're working with them. I asked Anderson, but he wouldn't talk." Ashley crossed her arms. Shepard huffed.

"Cerberus are the only ones doing anything about this!"

"Bullshit. I know what Cerberus is like. They say they put humans first, but at what cost? I wanted to believe you were alive, I just never expected this." She said with disgust.

"You turned your back on everything we stood for." I snorted. What a load.

"Ash, you know me. You know I'd do this for the right reasons! You saw for yourself. The Collectors are behind this, and they're working with the reapers."

"I want to believe you, Shep. But I don't trust Cerberus. And it worries me that you do." Ashley shot a look at Jacob.

"What did they do to you?" She asked suspiciously.

"You're so hung up on Cerberus, you can't see the real threat!" Shepard said, frustrated.

"Maybe you feel like you owe them something for saving you." Shepard groaned.

"Well, I still know where my loyalties lie. I'm an Alliance solder. It's in my blood."

She turned away from us.

"I'm reporting this to the Citadel. Let them decide if they believe your story." Shepard stepped forward.

"Ashley, join me. Help me win the real fight." Ashley turned back.

"No. I'm no fan of aliens, but Cerberus are extremists. I'll never work for someone like that.

So long, Commander. Good luck."

We watched her leave, all silent.

"Joker, send a shuttle. I've had enough of this colony."

When we got back to the Normandy, Shepard left us to call the Illusive Man.

Jacob took off his armor and left to join her.

I hung up my armor and went find an available terminal.

After getting the man's name, I sent him an email asking for more information on the shuttle Elliot supposedly took.

"EDI, can we track a shuttle?"

"If it has been properly registered, then it will have a tracking device." I leaned back and sighed. What if Elliot had fled? He'd never done anything cowardly in his life, why now?

My omni-tool pinged, dragging me from my thoughts.

I opened the alert Shepard had sent the whole crew.

 _We know where the Collector Base is located. We'll take the fight to them. In the meantime, we have to prepare and make sure we're ready as a team. We're on our way to Zorya now. Zaeed and Garrus, be ready to go._

I closed the message. I needed to ask Shepard if we could try to find Elliot. She'd agreed to help with some other crew requests.

I went down to level three, and grabbed a snack. The hall was empty, and as I took a seat at the table, I smiled, enjoying the quiet. A few moments later, the door to the Main Battery opened and Garrus stepped out. He glanced at me as he grabbed a Turian-safe meal.

"May I join you?" He asked politely. I smiled and nodded. He slid into the seat across from me and grabbed his napkin.

"How was it? Did you enjoy your first real soldier experience?" I swallowed and tilted my head to the side.

"Is it wrong if I did enjoy it? Obviously I hate that we didn't stop them, but this is so much better than ticketing drunken civilians on the Citadel." He smiled.

"I understand, and I agree. That's why I left."

I took another bite, and we ate in silence for a moment before I looked up at him.

"Can I ask you a question?"

He looked at me and raised a brow.

"What happened to your face?" I asked bluntly. He chuckled.

"I took a rocket to the face." I scoffed and he set down his fork.

"Don't believe me? Ask Shepard. She was there."

"Tell me the story?" I asked, a little shy. He enthusiastically shoved his tray away and leaned forward.

"Okay, but I'm starting from the beginning." I grinned and nodded.

"After I talked to you, and I left the Citadel, I wandered." His eyes were on me, but he was seeing something else.

"I hopped from place to place for awhile, looking for something. A sign, maybe." He laughed a little, looking embarrassed.

"But I settled on Omega.

On Omega, it didn't take long to find others who wanted to make a difference. Once I had a full team, we began to to subtly attack the gangs there." I rested my chin on my hands, enthralled. His voice was so deep, and rough. _Sexy._

I bit my lip hard, and his eyes darted down, locking on to the white teeth biting dark pink flesh. His mandibles clicked, and his story trailed off.

We were frozen in this strange scene, and it felt like the temperature had spiked. i slowly released my lip and Garrus made a sound low in his throat.

"Garrus, we're near Planet Zorya. Shepard requests you join her in the Armory." EDI's voice broke the tension and we both stood, scraping our chairs loudly on the floor.

"Excuse me-"

"Time for bed-" We both spoke over the other and parted, only to awkwardly run into each other as he waited for the elevator, and I opened the door to the sleeping quarters. We glanced at each other, but looked away quickly. I slipped into the room and dove into my bunk.

What the _hell_ just happened?

I didn't fall asleep until I heard EDI announce Shepard and party's return. If I strained, I thought I could just hear the sound of the door of the Main Battery open and close.

I considered for one silly second of going in there. But instead, I rolled away.

And I slept.

When I woke up, we were in the Serpent Nebula. Shepard and Kasumi were on Bekenstein, a planet nearby.

I got dressed and went to find a terminal. Delan had responded to my inquiry, and I nervously read the message before forwarding it to Shepard with a little message about Elliot. Delan had given us everything we needed to track the shuttle.

"EDI, can you show me on the map where it is?" She confirmed so, and I looked at the Galaxy map.

The shuttle hadn't gone too far from Horizon, it was still in the same system.

It was close to the planet Watchman.

I furrowed my brow. Watchman was an ice planet, no life, the air was too thin. Was Elliot there?

Later on, when the shore party had returned, Shepard messaged me, asking me to meet her in her cabin. I couldn't sense the tone, which made me nervous. I sent my latest report to the Alliance, and rode the elevator to the top.

When I entered, Shepard was sitting at her desk. she swiveled around to face me, and nodded to a chair beside her. I sat down and looked at her.

"I got your message. I also received one from Anderson." I nodded and bit my lip.

"We're going to investigate, but I need you to understand that the Alliance has given me…'permission' to do what is necessary if this goes south." I frowned.

"What exactly are you saying, Commander?" She sighed.

"Natalie, Elliot is going to trial. I have to arrest him. If he refuses to go peacefully, it may turn violent, we may need to defend ourselves. Can you do that?" I chewed my lip.

"Who is going on this mission?" If she brought the wrong crew member, this could end horribly.

"This is your mission, you're going. Did you have a recommendation for the other position?" I furrowed my brow. Yes, I did.

"Well, Garrus was a c-sec officer. He's had a lot of practice arresting people." Shepard nodded and smiled a little.

"Okay, I'll let him know." I nodded and stood.

"Was that all, Commander?"

"For now."


	10. Chapter 10

My heart hammered against my chest as we dropped down from the Normandy. Our MAKO hit the ground hard and rocked before settling on the thick ice. Shepard loaded her gun and settled it in its holster, avoiding my gaze. She took to the wheel and began moving over the frozen planet. I trusted Shepard to do her best to handle this delicately, but...Elliot could die today. Garrus bumped my shoulder gently with his. I looked up at him, letting him see all the emotional turmoil I was feeling. His returning gaze was full of strength, determination. Affection. I broke eye contact and looked out the window.

"Keep your eyes open. Do not leave the MAKO unless we know we found something. Our armor can only protect from the cold for so long." Shepard's voice filled me with resolve.

"Shepard, on our ten." Shepard and I snapped our necks in the direction Garrus indicated. In the distance was a speck of orange. A fire? Shepard drove faster, and soon we could see a crashed shuttle, door busted open, with a small fire burning close by. We could see a woman sitting in the shuttle, she saw us too and stood as our vehicle approached. She was clearly frightened, but was prepared to stand her ground. It became obvious she was very pregnant. Shepard parked, and we climbed out. The woman lifted a pistol and aimed it at us, her hands trembling.

"My name is Commander Shepard, I'm here to help." The woman seemed willing to listen, but the gun stayed up. "I was sent here by Admiral Anderson to find Elliot Gallagher . Do you know him?" The woman frowned.

"You're here to hurt him!" I stepped forward with my hands up.

"I'm Natalie, Elliot's my brother!" She hesitated and the gun wavered.

"He mentioned a sister..." I nodded.

"Please, please tell me he's okay. Where is he?" She lowered the gun.

"He went off trying to find a signal. He's been trying for a while to get in contact with anyone, for help. He should be back soon." Shepard stepped closer to her.

"Who are you? Can you tell us what happened?"

"My name is Naomi...I met Elliot on Horizon." She sat back down and sighed, rubbing her belly. "When the soldiers got a tip that Horizon was next to get hit, they requested more soldiers. I was scared, I begged Elliot to leave with me, but he was certain that they could protect the colony. Then the ship touched down. When Elliot saw the size of it in person, he realized that they had no chance...so he packed what he could of our things, and found a shuttle." Her eyes grew wet and shiny. "It's my fault he's in trouble, but he was only trying to save me and my baby." I walked as quickly as I could over the snow and ice and hugged her tightly.

"You saved my brother's life. Thank you." Naomi smiled a little as I pulled away.

"Who's there? Naomi, you okay?" My brother's voice broke through the thick mist, sounding panicked.

"It's okay, it's your sister!" We listened as he moved in closer, finally breaking through.

"Nat?" He asked, suspicious.

"Yes, you idiot. Come here!" I watched him and almost cried. There was my brother. Finally. I ran to him, both Garrus and Shepard tried to grab me but I leaped into him and hugged him tightly. He hugged back just as hard.

"It's so good to see you, Nat." I nodded.

"Same to you, El. Did you knock her up?" I whispered. He laughed.

"No, but..I love her, Nat." I smiled, but it faded quickly. I pulled away.

"Please come with us, the Alliance wants you to go to trial, but once they see what you did, you'll be fine." He sighed.

"I'll go, Natalie. I never meant to get stuck here. I just wanted to get Naomi off of Horizon." I smiled and walked over to the group. Shepard smiled, Garrus winked at me. Shepard called for pick up, and we helped them into the ship. Dr Chakwas had us drop them off in her clinic. I didn't want to leave Elliot, but Chakwas told me to come back later. I grumbled and left, dropping my things off in the Armory.

Shepard told Joker to head to the Citadel, where we would hand over Elliot to Admiral Anderson. I made my way back to the med bay, and Garrus met me there. He looked at me, smiling comfortably. "I'm glad you wanted me there." I blushed and shrugged.

"I knew you'd let me handle it." He smirked.

"You were reckless, Gallagher." He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "There can't be two reckless crew members, and I called dibs a long time ago." I laughed.

"Well, out with the old..." I teased. His mandibles clicked playfully.

"Watch it, Kid. I'm good friends with the Commander." I giggled. A cough made us jump.

"Chakwas cleared me, so I came to find you." Elliot glanced between us. Garrus shifted nervously from foot to foot before standing.

"I should go. I'll talk to you later, Natalie." I smiled at him and watched as he went to his safe space.

"So, a Turian, huh?" I looked at Elliot, confused.

"Yeah, that's what he is..good job, Elliot." He shook his head.

"Don't play dumb, sis. I just interrupted an intimate moment." I blushed heavily and looked away. "How close are you?" I glared at him. He lowered his voice. "You know how dad is. You can't do...anything with an alien."

"Shut up! There's nothing going on with Garrus. We're friends. I'm friends with everyone here." I lied.

He scoffed. "Whatever. I'm starving, how's the food on this ship?"

When we docked at the Citadel, Anderson met us at the door. He looked from Elliot to Naomi to me.

"I got you a free night. Go have a nice dinner with your family. This trial is going to be stressful." I nodded appreciatively. Elliot and I led Naomi to our apartment. He was excited to introduce her to mom and dad. I thought about Garrus. Elliot was right, dad did not like or trust aliens. Garrus was too militant, to violent for mom. Naomi was a human girl, perfect for them. Garrus would never be enough for them.

My parents were stoked during the whole meal. Dad had scraped together what he could and already had the best lawyer he could hire for Elliot. He was unconcerned, sure that Elliot would get off easy. I wasn't as optimistic. Mom loved having another 'girl' around. Everyone was in Heaven. Except me. After dinner, I said my goodbyes and hugged them all awkwardly.

"Do you know where you're going next?" Elliot asked.

"Haestrom, we're picking up a Quarian named Tali. She's a friend of Shepard's." My dad rolled his eyes, but we all ignored him.

"Be careful, that planet is overrun with Geth." I nodded.

"I'll be fine." I smiled at him and left the apartment. Time to return to the comfort of the Normandy.

I found a nice spot in Starboard Observation, and watched as we raced through Space. I was actually really excited about meeting Tali. She was a badass with technology, and really just a badass in general. And she was really good friends with Shepard and Garrus. I wanted her to like me. The door opened and I turned to find Shepard walking in. I smiled when she sat beside me.

"How was your family time?" I rolled my eyes dramatically, and she chuckled.

"I get that, I can't even remember the last time I had a meal with my parents." She leaned back. "We're better with a long distance relationship." I nodded in agreement. "You know, Anderson wasn't the only one who recommended you." I looked at her, intrigued. She smirked and leaned closer, whispering conspiringly. "When Anderson said your name, Garrus twitched." I swallowed hard. "That Turian never breaks unless he's nervous. I had to meet the person that made Garrus Vakarian nervous." I leaned back hard.

"Oh." She laughed. "That's...interesting." I replied, and looked away.

"Hey." When I met her gaze again, she was serious. "I like when Garrus is happy. You make him smile, Natalie." I blushed. She continued on. "Soldiers don't find many reasons to smile out here. Especially my crew. Take what you can get, Gallagher." She stood and walked to the door.

"I asked EDI to message you some vids. Call it research." She left me alone then, but I could hear her chuckling all the way to the elevator. I shook my head and laughed a little. Hopefully she was joking, but I'd check my messages later.


	11. Chapter 11

Shepard chose Garrus and I for the Haestrom mission. I loaded my Vindicator and slid it into the holster. Garrus was checking the scope on his rifle. I smiled, watching him. He was _cute_. He must have felt my gaze, as he lifted his head and locked eyes with me. We shared a nice moment, just smiling at each other.

He stepped closer.

"Gallagher, I just need to tell you something. Something important." I nodded nervously, wondering if I should stop him. Shepard decided for me.

"Come on, guys! Let's go get our Quarian!" She leapt into the shuttle, clearly excited. Garrus and I couldn't help but laugh as we followed her.

"Tali'Zorah should be in these ruins, Commander. Be cautious, there are several Geth dropships in the area. The heat is dangerously high as well. Avoid direct sunlight as it will damage your shields."

We exited the shuttle and took in our surroundings. There was a big patch of sunlight between us and the gate into the ruins. Shepard motioned for us to go in one at a time, and ran through the light. We could hear her suit freaking out, but Shepard made it safely over, and watched our backs as Garrus and I moved to her side. When we stepped into the little gatehouse, we were met with a terminal that played a Quarian's log on loop.

"Geth are too overwhelming. To anyone who finds this, find Tali'Zorah. She and the data are all that matter. Keelah Se'lai."

Shepard opened the gate and we as we stepped through, a Geth dropship flew overhead, dropping several Geth in of our path.

"Geth have strong shields, but once you get through those, they're easy to pick off. Just stay in cover!" I acknowledged Shepard's advice, and Garrus and I found cover. We all worked together to take down Geth and move forward.

A large red colored Geth stepped out of cover and shot a rocket at Shepard.

"I am _not_ taking another rocket to the face!" Shouted Garrus.

Shepard laughed.

"But Garrus, some girls _love_ a man with scars." She mocked.

"Watch it Shepard, or I'll sic my Krogan girlfriend on you." Garrus replied, making me laugh.

Another rocket whizzed past us and Shepard lost her good humor.

"Alright, focus!" We concentrated and mowed down the wave of Geth. Up ahead, we found a dead Quarian, their radio loudly buzzing beside them.

"OP-1, this is squad leader Kal'Reegar. Come in, over!" Shepard leaned down and picked it up.

"This is Commander Shepard, we're here to help." The Quarian responded quickly.

"Patch your radio to Channel 617 Theta." Garrus and I quickly tuned in.

"We were on a stealth mission, high risk. The Geth found us, but we found what we were after.

They have us pinned down, and we can't reach our ship or send the data through the Solar radiation."

"What's your status? How many of you are left?" Asked Shepard.

"We were a small squad. Dozen marines, plus the science team. We're down to half-strength now. Made the synthetic bastards pay for it though."

"Do we need to worry about reinforcements?"

"I don't think so." He responded. "Their patrol ship hasn't lifted off again, and the radiation blocks all offworld communication."

"Where are you? We can be there in a few minutes."

"We're bunkered down at the base camp, across the valley. I left Tali'Zorah at a secure shelter, then returned to hold them back.

Getting Tali out safely is our top priority. If you can extract her, we'll keep them off you."

Shepard looked at Garrus, still speaking to Kal'Reegar.

"You have confirmation she's still alive? The Geth haven't reached her yet?"

"Affirmative. Left my best men with her. When you get here, you can talk to her over the comm. every marine on this rock is sworn to protect Tali'Zorah. Long as one of us is breathing, she'll be safe."

Shepard sighed, relieved.

"Hold position, we'll hit them from the back!""

Wait, watch your ass! We've got a dropship coming in!" Kal'Reegar responded, sounding distressed.

The ship moved over us, shooting several rockets at the gate in front of us before flying away. We tried to run through, but a pillar collapsed, blocking our way. Kal'Reegar spoke again.

"Damn, you're blocked! Grab the demo charges in the building nearby. You can blast your way through." Geth moved in on us, and we dove behind cover. EDI chimes in then.

"Shepard, I've located the charges the Quarian Commander mentioned. I've marked them on your map."

We shot down Geth after Geth, covering Shepard as she located and placed the charges.

As they beeped a countdown, we hid from the incoming blast. Garrus reached over, placing his three-fingered hands over my ears. I smiled appreciatively at him. The blast tumbled the ground beneath us, and destroyed the pillar in our way. We moved on, into a building the Quarians had used as a base. Tali's voice greeted us, and we quickly located a terminal projecting her image.

"Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

Shepard hit a button on the terminal.

"Tali, it's Shepard."

"Shepard? How do you keep popping up at the strangest moments? Why are you in Geth space?"

"Well, I'm here for you, Tali. I need your help." Tali tilted her head, as if she were bashful.

"I'm glad you're here, Shepard. I missed you." She turned serious again.

"Kal'Reegar and what's left of the marines got me to the observatory. From where you are, it's through the door and across the field. I got the data I needed, and I'm safe for now, but there's a lot of Geth outside."

"Are you alone?"

Tali nodded.

"I can hear at least some of the marines outside fighting."

Shepard glanced at the door.

"Can you unlock this door from your side? Our console is destroyed."

Tali leaned out of shot.

"I think so…there. Be careful, Shep, and please, keep Reegar safe."

We left the building and entered the field. We could see the observatory on the other side, and a colossus Geth in front of it.

"Shepard, get down and stay down!" We dove into cover next to Kal'Reegar, making sure to keep our heads down.

"The Geth killed my squad, and they're trying to get to Tali. Best I can do is draw their attention away.

That damn colossus can repair itself. I tried moving in closer, but one of those bastards hit my suit." Shepard looked him over, concerned.

"How bad is the hole?"

"It's clamped shut, and I'm swimming in antibiotics."

"Okay, stay down Reegar. My team will get you and Tali out of here."

We moved in, our shields taking a beating from everything. We all darted from cover to cover, taking down Geth, and moving in on the colossus.

It took a lot of work, but eventually we knocked the beast out and made it to Tali.

"Just let me finish this download." She said, back turned and focused on her task. We healed each other and moved closer to her.

"Thank you, Shepard." Tali turned and faced the commander and Garrus.

"Thank you both. This whole thing has been a disaster. I should've joined you on Freedom's Progress, but this mission was too risky to trust anyone else with."

"Join us now, Tali. Deliver your data and leave with us on the Normandy."

Tali nodded.

"Of course. I can send this to the fleet from the Normandy. If the admirals have a problem, they can go to hell. I watched my whole team die today."

"Not your whole team, Ma'am."

We turned and watched Kal'Reegar limp over.

"Reegar!" Tali cried.

"You were right about your old Commander, she's as good as you said, Tali." He nodded respectfully at Shepard. She smiled back.

"We can take you out of here, Reegar." He shook his head.

"My ship's still here. As long as we're gone before the Geth send reinforcements, we'll be fine."

Tali approached him.

"I'm going with Shepard, Reegar." He nodded

"I'll tell the board what happened here." He looked back at Shepard.

"Keep her safe, Commander." He saluted Shepard and left to his ship.

Back on the Normandy the three were quickly off to catch up. Tali leaned on Garrus with such familiarity it made me nervous. Had they been closer than I thought?

I sent my daily report in and started wandering the ship, trying to work out the nervous energy I had. Of course I ended up in the battery.

Without Garrus, the room was lifeless and cold. The constant buzz was eerie. I found his 'bed' in the far corner, blankets and pillows overflowing off a cot and spilling onto the floor around it. I smiled and gave into the temptation to crawl into this cocoon he'd created for himself. I sighed, sinking in deeply.

His smell was overwhelming here. I closed my eyes, telling myself I'd leave in just a moment.

Something was shifting against me. The cot was tiny, but whatever it was was making sure to give me plenty of room.

I rolled over, opening one eye and meeting Garrus'.

"Hi." I whispered. He smiled.

"Hello, Gallagher."

I moved my arm under my head and watched him.

"Did you have a nice time with your friends?" I asked. He nodded.

"I did, actually. You should have joined us." I snorted quietly.

"Nah, you guys needed to catch up. Maybe I'll crash it next time." He reached over and touched my hair.

"I hope you do." I smiled.

"There was a lot of teasing aimed at me, though." He said, playing with my hair.

"Shepard is convinced I have a crush on you." I giggled nervously. "She's crazy."

"She's right." He looked at me, studying my reaction. I tried to remain stone faced, but I don't think I was accomplishing anything.

"Did Shepard send you any weird vids?" He asked, clearly embarrassed.

"Yes, but I didn't watch any. I just deleted them." He looked down, avoiding my gaze.

"I watched one...I just wanted to do this right." He leaned in, pressing his mouth to mine. It felt strange, his mouth wasn't soft, but there was some give to it. The kiss was gentle and sweet. I pressed my lips hard against his mouth.

After a moment or two, we pulled apart, smiling.

"Was that good for you?" He asked, nervous. I chuckled and nodded.

"It was perfect, Garrus."

He slid his arm around my waist and snuggled close to me.

"We're on our way to Illium. Picking up a couple more people." I closed my eyes, listening to him.

"Do you know anything about them?" I asked.

"One is an Asari Justicar. Another biotic on the team is always a good thing." I nodded.

"And the other is an assassin...I'm very curious to meet that one." I smiled, falling asleep.

"Goodnight, Natalie." He whispered, before pressing a kiss to my head.

The next stop was a beauty. Illium was an active planet, full of tall buildings, shiny and new. Shuttles flew overhead, going to and fro.

Shepard had taken Tali and Miranda this time, but asked me to make a run for supplies. Everyone on the ship had needed something or other, so I had quite a list to tackle.

I checked on Elliot during a break, and found the trial to be going well. He'd be punished for abandoning his post, but the Alliance understood why he did what he did.

I sent a short message of encouragement back.

Eventually I'd have to tell my family about Garrus...but what do I say? We'd kissed, there was clearly an attraction between us, but other than what I'd learned from the vids post-Saren attack, I didn't know anything about him.

I'd make a list of questions for him. Was that _too_ lame?

I finished my errands and returned to the ship. I could hear Joker arguing with EDI _again_. I took a left and entered the cockpit.

"Everything okay, Joker?" He turned his chair to face me.

"Just peachy as usual. Have to run literally every move with the machine, but that's fine. Pretty sure it's keeping track of when I go to the bathroom, but whatever."

"I do that with everyone, Joker. Dr. Chakwas is very pleased with the information." He three

His hands in the air.

"Invasion of privacy!" He shouted.

I laughed and left him alone. I entered the lab, and though Mordin heard me, he didn't lift his head from his task.

"I am the very model of a scientist Salarian." He sang quietly. I smiled and bit my lip.

"I've studied species Turian, Asari, and Batarian." He grew louder.

"I'm quite good at genetics-as a subset of biology-because I am an expert-which I know is a tautology." He spun around, arms spread out.

"My xenoscience studies range from urban to agrarian, I am the very model of a scientist Salarian!" He fell to a knee and I applauded enthusiastically. He stood and gave me a bow.

"Thank you, thank you."

"That was incredible. I didn't know you were a male of so many talents." He smiled.

"I am full of surprises." He moved around the table.

"But so is everyone, I suppose. Rumor around ship is Turian-Human intercourse is occurring?" I choked on my surprise.

"What? No! No sex!" I shook my head. He chuckled.

"Always so strange when other races are shy. Silly." He turned back to his work.

"I took semen specimen from Turian once. Different Turian." He corrected. "I tested reaction when introduced to human female. Very interesting. I recorded my findings and made copies for Mr. Vakarian and yourself." I shook my head so hard I thought it would fall off.

"Nope. No thank you. Shred those." He shook his head.

"Will be here if you change your mind. Also, if you want more personalized data, let me know. I can take samples from you and-"

"See ya, Doc." I rushed out of there, regretting ever leaving my bunk.

After that, things seemed to pick up speed. The playfulness and teasing the crew had grown accustomed to slowly seeped away, replaced by stress and a tense atmosphere. Garrus and I rarely saw each other alone anymore, but we shared plenty of private glances.

Samara and Thane were new crew mates, and very fascinating people. Both were regretful parents, but whereas Thane was in a place to reconnect with his son, Samara was in the terrible position of having to do something no parent ever wants to have to do.

Shepard helped them both, along with everyone else. Miranda, and Jack. Tali, Grunt, and Mordin. Everyone had something to get done before they possibly died going after these Collectors.

Garrus waited patiently for his turn. He asked Shepard to help him get revenge on an old friend who had betrayed him and his team. He tried to sneak off with her and Thane, but I caught him just before he left.

"You can't do this." He avoided my eyes.

"Leave this alone, Natalie." I put my hand on his chest.

"You're better than this. This is murder." He shrugged me off.

"We may have an attraction to each other, but don't make it anything more than that. You don't know me, Kid." I glared.

"Shove that attitude up your ass, if there's any room with that stick up there."

He moved around me.

"I have to go." I crossed my arms and watched him leave.

I spent the time in my bunk. I was hurt. I wanted him when we went for Elliot, but he did everything he could to avoid me before his mission. And what he said before he left...he wanted to hurt my feelings. Why?

I just wanted to help him, lead him in a healthier direction. I stood and marched to the battery. I wasn't done talking.


	12. Chapter 12

I sat alone for hours, but Garrus finally walked into the battery. He sat down, sighing heavily.

"Are you okay?" I asked, gently.

"No. Why are you in here, Gallagher?"

"You know why." I walked over.

"Did you go through with it?" He growled and stood.

"Shepard blocked my shot." I raised my brow.

"Oh."

He began pacing.

"She tried to talk me out of it, and when I remained deadset, she ruined my one shot. Now Sidonis will disappear forever!" He punched the wall, then massaged his hand.

"She did it for you."

"I didn't ask for anyone to make choices for me."

"She cares about you."

"Shut _up_ , Natalie." I slumped against the wall.

"Garrus…"

He turned to me. "What do you want from me?"

I shrugged, but I knew.

He looked away. "I got an email from your father."

I jerked my head up. _No._

"What? How…"

He smiled sardonically.

"Your brother told him you were messing around with an older Turian. I guess your father is a bit of a racist?" I stood and approached him. He raised a hand, stopping me.

"The message didn't offend me, I've met plenty like him. You need to clear things up with your family, Kid. They have the wrong idea." He walked to his cot.

"Now go. I'm tired." I lifted my chin and did as he ordered.

The next mission Shepard invited me and Tali.

We were going to find a reaper "identify friend/foe" that would help us sneak into the collector base undetected. We landed on a derelict reaper, and had to fight several hundred husks. When we made it to the IFF, as discovered a helpful Geth sniper. Before we could question it, we were overcome with husks and the Geth was knocked out.

We made it out with the IFF and the Geth, much to Tali's displeasure.

Back on the Normandy, Shepard talked to it, and discovered it was friendly. The Geth officially joined the team, and we addressed it as 'Legion'.

Both Garrus and Tali were choosing to stay in their respective hidey-holes now. They'd both forgiven Shepard, but they did not want anything to do with me or Legion. So I became best friends with the machine.

I started spending a lot of time in the A.I core, where Legion has stationed itself. I learned a lot about the Geth, most of it very surprising.

Shepard held a meeting. There was one final mission before we headed into the Omega 4 relay. She took almost everyone, but I stayed behind to write what could possibly be my final report.

I had just hit send when our ship shook.

"The Collectors are here!" Someone shouted. I rushed to the windows with a crowd of other crew. The large ship was frighteningly close. I could hear the crew rallying behind me, but I was frozen. I wasn't even going to make it to the suicide mission…

Someone shoved me and threw a gun into my hands.

"Gallagher, protect Joker!"

The doors burst open and Collectors began pouring onto the main deck. I turned and found Joker limping slowly to the lab. I followed after him, shooting Collectors as I passed them.

I could hear EDI giving Joker orders. He was making jokes, but I could tell he was terrified.

I followed him and we climbed and crawled through the ducts to the A.I core. EDI directed Joker to give her full control. As he pushed buttons, the door burst open, and before I could shoot, I was knocked out.

Shepard

Commander Shepard hated losing. Returning to her ship and finding it empty and quiet infuriated her.

Joker sat off to the side, his eyes wet.

"You did good, Jeff." He shook his head. He didn't want to hear it.

They took _everyone_." He said, his voice breaking. Garrus shoved his way to the front.

"Natalie?"

Joker couldn't even look at Garrus.

"She protected me...I'm so sorry."

Shepard put her hand on Garrus' shoulder and squeezed.

"We're going to get everyone back, damn it. Joker, back to the controls. It's time."

I couldn't open my eyes, they felt gooey and glued shut. I was stuck, but managed to wriggle my arm loose and clawed at my eyes until I could see. It didn't reveal anything, I was in total darkness. I pushed the walls around me, feeling a slight give, but not enough to free myself. I grunted and slid my knees to my chest, shoving hard with my feet. When I heard a crack I whooped victoriously.

After several moments of struggling, I successfully broke out of the cocoon I'd been placed in. I looked around, shocked at my surroundings.

The Collector ship was clearly made partly of organic material on the outside but on the inside was all organic. I felt like I was inside the stomach of a whale. The walls and ceiling where nothing but pods, waiting for whoever these monsters took next.

Hooked to each pod was a tube, and I got to sit front row as a humanoid I couldn't identify was turned to liquid and sucked through said tube, taken to god only knew where and why.

What were they _doing_ to us?

I couldn't fight the overwhelming urge to vomit.

"Gallagher!" I looked around, and discovered a familiar crew mate in one of the pods. She beat helplessly on the glass, pleading with me to help. I looked around, finding a piece of cocoon that was conveniently bat-shaped and lifted it. Swinging at the glass, I managed to dent and crack it. Another hit and we were able to free her.

"Thank you, Gallagher." She leaned on her knees, breathing heavily. I looked in other pods, discovering more of our crew.

"As soon as you're ready, we need to save the others." She nodded and found her own weapon. Together we began busting the other pods.

"We need to get out of here!"

"But we might run into one of the Collectors." I looked at the group as they argued. I quickly shushed them.

"If you're good with a weapon, grab a bat. If you're a biotic, shield us, and if you're injured, stay in the middle with Chakwas." Everyone agreed and we were all in position.

"Now we move, slow and quiet. We all know Shepard will come for us, let's make this an easy rescue." Everyone nodded and we began our slow march.

Shepard

Legion made it safely through the ducts of the Collector ship, unlocking the doors. Samara using her biopics, kept the group safe from the swarms. Garrus had asked Shepard to lead the second group, but she was worried about him. He was clearly jittery, nervous, _afraid._ Shepard tasked Jacob with the job and kept Garrus close.

We'd been lucky so far, and we could even hear gunfire in the distance.

"It's Shepard!" Everyone cheered, and I smiled.

Following the sound, we located the door that separated us from the party. The sound of clicking behind us made my heart stop. We all slowly turned to face the room full of Collectors.

"Tech crew, get that door open. Injured, stay low. Soldiers, fight!" I shouted, running towards a Collector.

Shepard

Tali worked on the door as the rest kept the collectors back.

"I can hear fighting on the other side!" She yelled.

"Hurry, Tali!"

Finally the door flew open and the party rushed in, closing it behind them. They quickly jumped into the fight, finishing off the rest of the Collectors.

The sound of the door opening made me turn. Seeing Shepard and the team was the most comforting sight in the galaxy. Not to mention that stupid Turian. His eyes moved quickly across the room before landing on me. I smiled and he quickly responded with his own.

"Mordin, can you take the crew to the Normandy?" Asked Shepard.

"Can do. Let's go!" He motioned for everyone to follow. I looked at Shepard, and she shook her head.

"Obviously, Gallagher. You're a part of this team. You're going with us." I grinned and walked over. Garrus reached behind his back and revealed my gun. I took it and smiled appreciatively. " _Thank you."_ I mouthed.

"We need a team to stay and guard this door. Garrus, Natalie; you're with me. Everyone else, stay here, watch each other's backs, and stay alive. That's an order!" Shepard commanded. Everyone saluted and we took off.

"Joker, did Mordin and the crew make it?"

"All accounted for, Commander."

We sighed in relief and pushed on, killing collectors as we progressed through the base.

Finally we made it to the center, and discovered what was happening to the colonists.

In front of us was a giant human-shaped reaper connected to tubes full of the human remains. While Garrus and I kept Collectors at bay, we could hear Shepard arguing with the Illusive Man over whether or not to destroy the organic machine in front of us. Telling him off, she hung up.

"End it. Shoot those tubes."

Garrus and I didn't hesitate. In between waves of collectors and husks, the three of us worked on disconnecting the monster from the tubes, all while avoiding its attacks.

It almost felt hopeless.

But then it was over.

We checked on each other before regrouping with the others.

The base was collapsing under our feet as we all ran back the way we came, back to the Normandy.

We crowded the cockpit, all biting our nails as Joker and EDI worked together to return us back through the relay. I felt Garrus' three-fingered hand slide over mine, and I glanced quickly at him. His eyes were glued to the relay in the distance. I turned my hand over and locked fingers with him, squeezing hard.

"I am so proud of every single one of you…" Shepard said loudly, and then we hit the relay.

Here we go…


	13. Chapter 13

Soon after we returned, Shepard was put under house arrest. We all just kinda...separated without her. Tali was called back to the Quarian fleet. Legion went back to the Geth to share what he'd learned. Thane's health was declining, so he moved permanently to the Citadel for constant medical attention and to be closer to his son. Grunt went to Tuchanka.

Garrus decided to go home, to talk to his father and see if they could do anything to get the Turians riled up and prepared for what was sure to come.

He didn't ask me to go.

I didn't invite myself.

I went home. Elliot had been discharged from the military, and had gotten a job with C-Sec. He and Naomi had gotten an apartment together close to my parents, and she spent her time decorating the place. I tried to tell them all what had happened, what would soon happen, but they only cared about my "relationship" with Garrus. I gave up quickly and spent most of my time wandering the Citadel alone.

I considered going back to C-Sec.

I considered going to Earth, where Shepard was being held. I even packed.

But Anderson saved the day.

"I have a job for you."

Relieved, I sat down at his desk.

"We've started receiving endless reports of sightings of Collectors, Reapers, Husks, you name it. Most are hoaxes, conspiracy theorists, crazies. But we can't ignore these reports in case one is legitimate." He locked his fingers together.

"We need someone whose sole position is to answer these reports. We need _you_."

I smiled, this was perfect.

"Yes. Yes, Sir."

He smiled.

"Good to hear it, Gallagher. But you understand this means following leads that lead nowhere. This means wasting your time. This means that one day you may be the bearer of the bad news we don't want to hear." I sobered up and nodded.

"I do, Sir." He handed me a box. I looked at him bemused as I opened it slowly.

Inside was a Lieutenant's patch. A promotion. I looked back at him and bit my lip.

"Congratulations Lieutenant Gallagher. Thank you on behalf of all of the Alliance for your bravery against the Collectors." He saluted me. I swallowed the emotion back and returned the gesture. He dropped his hand and stood.

"You'll need a ship. Take the Normandy. She and her Pilot are getting rusty." A nervous laugh escaped me.

"The Normandy is more than I could ever ask for, Sir."

"Good. She needs to be kept in shape while Shepard's out for the count."

I nodded.

"I'll send the reports we have so far to you and from now on you'll have access to any we receive in the future."

I grinned in excitement.

"Well? Go, Gallagher." He ordered, smiling.

"Welcome back, Gallagher." Joker greeted as I entered the ship. Ever since we faced the collectors together, he'd been much friendlier to me. I smiled.

"Thanks, Joker."

I moved back to the Galaxy Map and checked what was now my private terminal.

 _Jane Shepard_

 _Congrats, Kid. Take care of my ship! And my pilot. He's the best in the Alliance-scratch that-best in the Galaxy!_

 _Garrus Vakarian_

 _Look at you, moving on up. Drop by Palaven sometime._

 _I miss you._

I kept scrolling, my heart pounding. He missed me...I missed him too.

I made notes of the more likely legitimate reports and set course for the first, a colony called New Canton in the Terminus Systems. It would take a bit of time to get there, so I wandered for a bit.

I considered the Captain's Cabin, but that was Shepard's space. I steered clear of the Battery. It would feel odd now.

The ship was much lonelier, with just a skeleton crew to keep her going.

"Are you okay, Lt. Gallagher?" I looked up, but of course EDI's voice was only coming through a speaker nearby.

"Yes, just getting used to the...quiet."

"I could play music?"

I smiled. "Maybe later."

"Just ask."

What a sweetheart.

Now that Samara was gone, I decided to make the Starboard Observation Deck my place. The couch was large and comfortable enough to call a bed, and setting up a desk and terminal was simple enough.

I collapsed onto the couch and closed my eyes, deciding to rest for a while.

Several Hours Later

 _Elliot Gallagher_

 _In charge of your own mission? Nat, we're all SO proud of you. Dad of course wants to know how many Aliens are in your crew? The rest of us just want to know how many beings you're in charge of!_

 _Stay safe._

I closed the message, deciding to answer it later. Let Dad stew for a bit.

I headed to the kitchen and sat at a table. Rupert sat a bowl down in front of me and I thanked him. It wasn't mom's, but it filled you up and kept you going.

"One hour to New Canton."

Good. I was antsy, ready to get off this ship for a bit.

We landed in the docking zone and after dressing in my simple uniform with only a small Alliance patch on the chest, I left the ship.

I was greeted almost immediately by the leader of the colony.

"You're here about the Collectors?" She asked, clearly stressed.

I nodded.

"Yes, Ma'am. Your report said there were some disappearances?" She nodded vigorously.

"Twelve people now...Just gone." She led me to the housing block.

"What's this Colony's purpose?" I asked.

"Mining." I nodded, this was what the report said.

We walked through the first block of housing and it was clearly deserted. But Collectors didn't just take a few, they took _all._

"Did you see any Collectors?"

"I didn't, but Corgan did." I asked to meet him and she took me to another home, where an elderly man sat, staring into the distance.

"Corgan, this is Lt. Gallagher from the Alliance. Can you tell her what you told me?" I squatted beside his chair, Omni tool open and recording.

He never looked away from those hills in the distance.

"They were huge...monster _bugs_."

Accurate so far.

"They screamed..as they took them..I'll never forget those _screams_." He shivered.

"Did they take them onto a ship?" I asked.

"No...they dragged them away, kicking and screaming."

Alive?

"They _dragged_ them away?" I repeated. He nodded slowly.

"South...ain't nothin' down there but caves, endless and confusing, like mazes."

I frowned. This wasn't Collectors.

"Thank you, Sir. For your time." I stood and returned to the leader.

"I have some things I need to check, I'll have answers for you soon." She nodded, relieved. I reboarded the Normandy and sat by Joker. After playing the audio for him, I asked his opinion.

"Sounds like Rachni." EDI cut in. Joker cursed.

"I was going to say that." He crosses his arms, pouting. I rolled my eyes.

"Rachni? What are those?"

He stayed silent, looking up expectantly.

"Oh, no answer, Computer Jerk?" He mocked.

EDI responded deadpan, ignoring his sarcasm.

"I thought you wanted to answer, Jeff." He huffed.

"Can one of you help, please? People are missing." Joker dropped his arms.

"Sorry. Rachni are an insect race, they remind me of shrimp, or ants kinda. They all speak through people, like puppets. They have a hive mind."

I nodded, taking notes.

"Okay, so I get the confusion, but this is good news. No collectors." I smiled, he shrugged.

"Well, the Rachni were thought to be extinct, just like the collectors. Did the Reapers bring them back too?" I frowned.

"Great. Well, I'll go in with a team and see if we can find anyone…" I stood and left to the armory. I pulled on my armor and loaded the Vindicator. After choosing two crew members to join me, we left the Normandy and returned to the leader.

"Corgan said they went south, to some caves?"

She nodded.

"Yes, but they're winding and confusing. You aren't going in there, are you?"

"We do what we have to. Could someone guide us to the entrances?" She left and returned with a nervous Colonist.

We followed him for a while, and as soon as the cave mouth was in sight, he left to return to the colony. I turned to my team.

"First and foremost, your safety is number one. Stay close to each other, use your flare if you get lost." They nodded and we stepped inside. I clicked on my gun light, illuminating several feet of cave in front of us with a sharp white light. The walls were naturally formed, rocky and sharp, close around us.

There was nothing this close to the entrance. If you listened, you could hear liquid dripping, and scuttling of some sort in the distance. We pushed forward.

"Eyes sharp." I commanded, my own eyes darting left and right in a paranoid frenzy. I'd never led a team before, now here I was in charge of one while wandering through dark caves looking for bug monsters.

I silently begged the gods to help me keep these two alive and maybe even save a colonist or two.

The scuttling grew louder and more agitated.

"Be on your guard." I whispered.

A few steps further, my light fell on a clutch of eggs. I raised my hand to stop my team and slowly approached, nudging an egg gently.

It exploded, causing the others around it to explode as well. Toxic gas surrounded me, but my suit protected me from most of the damage. Stepping back, I turned to my team, coughing.

"Okay, avoid eggs." They laughed nervously, one hitting me with a medi-gel.

"Onward, boys." We pushed on, cautiously stepping around the eggs in our path.

Our hearts were racing, but so far, just distant scuttling and egg clutches.

One of the guys tripped suddenly, stumbling into me.

"Damn it, sorry LT." I brushed myself off and turned my light to the floor behind him.

A body, crumpled, off to the side.

I leaned down, scanning it with my Omni-tool. Cursing quietly when it recognized him as one of the missing colonists.

"Mark the location, we'll get him back to the colony after this is over." I stood and re-adjusted my weapon.

"Keep moving."

Deeper and deeper we moved into the caves. Closer and closer to the scuttling.

At this point, we'd found five more dead colonists.

Suddenly something rushed past my light. We froze and waited, listening.

The sound that Corgan has described filled the space around us; a shrill, disturbing scream. I aimed my gun, waiting for something to show itself.

Another scream and something darted towards us.

"Watch for colonists!" I shouted, and we began firing.

The Rachni spit at us, our suits sizzling at contact. They leaped at us, and we ruthlessly drove them back.

They were coming in waves, it felt like hours passed, but finally they stopped coming. We could still hear them, but the sound was growing faint.

One of the guys checked around, and unfortunately found the other six bodies.

"Well, that's it. Let's go. Time to close these caves for good."

"Wait, LT!" I turned back. One of the bodies was moving. We rushed over, discovering a small woman shivering violently. One of the guys picked her up gently and I gave her a medi-gel.

"Wait...what _is_ that?"

Attached to her head was a tentacle-ish thing.

"You know Shepard." She moaned.

I frowned, disturbed. "Yes?"

"We know Shepard. She saved us." I lowered my weapon.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"We are Rachni."

"Why are you taking these people?"

"We are being forced...to hurt. We promised Shepard not to." I bit my lip, listening.

"We will leave, those of us who can. Close these caves."

I nodded. "Thank you."

"You are good, like Shepard."

I smiled, and the tentacle released the woman and disappeared into the darkness.

I looked at my team.

"Let's go before anymore weird shit happens."

"I let them go on Noveria." I watched Shepard's image as she told me about them.

"It seemed like the right thing to do…" She looked unsure now. I shook my head.

"It was the right thing. They're just victims here, like everyone else."

"Well, you did a great job there, Natalie." I shrugged.

"The reapers are still out there…" she punched the table in front of her.

"Save that negativity for your pillow, Lieutenant."

I nodded.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"I have to go, my allotted phone time is up." She rolled her eyes. I smiled and hung up.

The colony on New Canton had been relieved to get the woman back safe and sound, though saddened to have lost so many. My team stayed long enough to help close off the caves, then we left for the next place.

 _Garrus Vakarian_

 _Are you busy? I tried to do other things and let you respond in your own time, but I became impatient...please answer? Or visit. Let me show you my home. Meet my family._

 _Let me kiss you again._

I blushed deeply. He was very blunt this time.

I kinda liked it.

 _Natalie Gallagher_

" _I'm in the neighborhood. I guess I could stop by"_ I typed; " _But only for another of those kisses you mentioned._

 _P.S: I'm excited to see Palaven."_

I quickly hit send before I could erase anything and leaned back, sighing.

Palaven, here I come.


End file.
